Heart Prep:
Good kings and evil kings—both were seen throughout the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Depending on who was king, the people would either be led to worship the one true God or led the opposite direction toward idolatry and wickedness.The good kings of Judah led the people to worship the one true God. The Lord raised up kings who would lead Judah to turn away from idolatry and keep His commands. Judah would serve God under the rule of the good kings but returned to their sinful ways after the good kings died. Yet, despite the people’s inconsistent worship of the Lord, God proved faithful to preserve His people. The line of Judah would one day give rise to the King of kings, who would make the way for people to worship God in spirit and truth.
Message:
The Southern Kingdom of Judah had several good kings that led the people to follow God, worship Him, and turn away from sin. King Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of God. He removed the places that the people worshiped false gods. He commanded the people of Judah to worship God and obey His laws. Asa rebuilt the altar that was in front of the Lord’s temple. Asa and the people of Judah promised to seek the Lord with all their heart and all their soul. When an enemy army came, Asa prayed, saying, “Lord, we are counting on you to help us. You can give us victory.” The Lord answered his prayer, and Asa was loyal to God his entire life. Years later, a wicked king named Ahaziah (ay huh ZIGH uh) became king over Judah. When Ahaziah died, his mother, Athaliah (ath uh LIGH uh), made herself queen by force. One of Ahaziah’s young sons, Joash, was hidden from Athaliah by his sister. Athaliah ruled as queen for six years and did evil in God’s sight. The priest Jehoiada (jih HOY uh duh) made a plan to overthrow Queen Athaliah. They captured her and placed a crown on Joash’s head, making him king. Under the leadership of Jehoiada the priest, Joash tore down the temple of Baal and brought back the proper worship of God in the temple. Throughout the time the priest Jehoiada instructed him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight. Many years after Joash, Hezekiah became king over Judah. He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done. One of his first acts as king was to clean out the temple so the people could worship and make sacrifices to the Lord. The people brought so many sacrifices that the priests needed help to prepare all the offerings. Hezekiah invited Judah and Israel to celebrate the feast of the Passover. They enjoyed praising God and feasting so much that they celebrated for two weeks! After the feast, everyone went back to their towns and tore down the altars and places of worship to false gods. After this, the same king of Assyria who had destroyed Israel came to attack Judah. The Assyrians said, “Do you think your God will save you? All the other kingdoms we defeated thought so, too.” King Hezekiah prayed to God, and God sent an angel to destroy the Assyrian army. Judah was saved! The last good king of Judah was Josiah. Even though he was only eight years old when he became king, he did what was right in the eyes of God. He smashed and tore down the places of idol worship. As he was cleaning out the temple, he found the book of the law from Moses. When Josiah heard the words of the law, Josiah was sad, because the nation was not obeying God’s commands. Josiah read the words of the law to all the people at the temple. Then Josiah and the people promised to keep the commands found in the book of the law. The people renewed the covenant with God and stayed faithful to God while Josiah was alive.
Main Point:
Judah’s good kings led the people to God and away from sin. Yet when they died, the people returned to their sinful ways. Jesus is our good King who died and rose again, and always leads us to God and away from sin.
Discussion:
Why were the kings in our story considered good?
Tell kids that the four kings were good because they led the people to worship God and turn away from sin. Share how they weren’t sinless—only Jesus is sinless—but they did seek to do what was right in God’s eyes. Share how God was faithful to give His people good kings who ruled rightly. Read Psalm 25:8-12 together.
Josiah became king at eight years old and followed God’s ways. What does this tell us about who can follow God and His ways?
Encourage kids to understand that people of all ages can follow God and obey His commands. Share how God does not show partiality. Anyone can turn to Him, repent of sin, and follow His ways. Read 1 Timothy 4:12 together.
Why do you think the people returned to their sinful ways after each good king died?
Discuss how the good kings were able to set a good example, but they were unable to change the people’s hearts. Tell kids that we all need God to change our hearts because we are sinful. When we trust in Jesus, God changes our hearts so that we desire to turn away from sin. While Christians will still sin, they recognize their sin, repent, and ask God to help them live for Him. Read Ezekiel 11:19 together.
